Spanish Muslims petitioned the Ottoman sultan for a naval general to lead their rising.

Evidence

With our knowledge of how things eventually worked out, we are tempted to regard what went on in North Africa at this time as a mere byway of history. We know it led nowhere eventually, but that was not how monarchs saw things at the time. A letter published by Temimi is dated that year, and is addressed in 1541 to Sulayman al-Kanuni (“The Law-Giver”), urging him to send his general Khayr al-din to Spain to lead the Muslims in their struggle: “The whole community joins to present this our petition to our Sultan, may he ever be victorious. Let him come to our aid and send that warrior in the holy war Khayr al-din Pasha from Algiers, the man best fitted to bring us victory, feared as he is by the infidel.” — L. P. Harvey, Muslims in Spain, 1500 to 1614, 1554